"Hotel Transylvania" Sets Record with $43 Million Debut

iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Hotel Transylvania had a monster weekend at the box office. The animated film, featuring Adam Sandler as the voice of Dracula, earned an estimated $43 million to open in first place.

Hotel Transylvania set a record for the highest-grossing September debut, surpassing the $35.7 million raised by the Reese Witherspoon romantic comedy Sweet Home Alabama in 2002.

It's important to keep in mind, though, that ticket prices are higher today than they were a decade ago. Sweet Home Alabama actually sold more tickets during its opening weekend than Hotel Transylvania did over the past three days.

The Joseph Gordon-Levitt-Bruce Willis thriller Looper premiered in second place, collecting $21.2 million. In its first weekend in theaters, the comedy Pitch Perfect ranked sixth, with $5.2 million. It expands into wide release later this week. The Viola Davis-Maggie Gyllenhaal drama Won't Back Down bowed in 10th place, with $2.7 million.

Here are the top 10 movies from Friday through Sunday, with estimated ticket sales, according to Hollywood.com: